Issue 266 - 23rd October 2014

Hello, and welcome to issue 266 of CHEX-Point Snippets. As always, this issue contains all the latest news and information relating to community-led health. If you have any news or updates from your own work locally that you would like mentioned in Snippets please get in touch. Click here if you would like to view this e-bulletin online or read any previous issues of Snippets.

The next issue will be published on Thursday 6th November. Please send anything you would like to be included before Tuesday 4th November.

You can send information/material for inclusion in CHEX-Point Snippets by sending an email to sam.jordan@scdc.org.uk or phone CHEX on 0141 248 1990. You can also tweet @SCDC_Sam. CHEX-Point Snippets is provided by CHEX – Community Health Exchange and this edition was compiled by Sam Jordan. Thanks to all contributors to this edition.

Cheers,
Sam Jordan
Information and Communications Officer, SCDC

Contents

(N.B. click on the heading links below to jump immediately to the relevant section)

CHEX News

News from the network: West and Central Voluntary Sector Network
(WCVSN) AGM

Three little letters AGM often engender in us a picture of a dull and dreary business meeting. Many organisations have learned over the years that it’s useful to use their AGM as an opportunity to engage their members in a range of interesting ways. This was certainly the case when it was my great pleasure to be one of 30 people who attended the AGM of the WCVSN in Scotstoun, Glasgow recently. The business of the meeting was dealt with swiftly and efficiently and the rest of the time was used constructively to provide some spotlights on the work of network members and to encourage networking and in depth discussion for participants.

This network was established in 2007. With sole employee Bronagh Gallagher and a management committee of twelve representatives from local organisations, the network provides a valuable information giving service through its regular ebulletin and website and runs a successful programme of networking, training and information giving events across the year. They also elect representatives into community planning and health structures ensuring that the Voluntary Sector is represented within local partnership structures.

At the AGM Network members had been invited to provide presentations in the form of a Project Spotlight. This was used by six member organisations to highlight new work which might be of interest to others. So we heard about new initiatives relating to themes of volunteer support, financial and debt advice services, support for women’s groups and support for families affected by substance misuse. The tea break that followed immediately allowed lots of connections to be made and people were making appointments to follow up with each other on the new information they had heard.

After this there was an ‘open space’ networking meeting. ‘Open space’ provides those present with the opportunity to set the agenda so that people can discuss, in groups, the topics that interest them most. At this meeting three people proposed topics and the meeting broke into three groups under the following headings. The Current Failures of Statutory Sector Services, Childcare in Drumchapel and Changes to Employability Measures.

Although the discussions are set up purely as an opportunity to share information and the animated conversations were testimony to the fact that this was happening in all the groups; it was striking that each discussion group also went on to establish constructive action that they could take part in to progress the agenda of the topic they had discussed. No mean feat in a 40 minute slot but testimony to the power of ‘open space’ methodology and the enthusiasm and commitment of network members.

This was a very successful morning for an active and engaged network illustrating the strengths of constructive networking and an excellent example of how to make an AGM as interesting and energising as possible.

EUCDN: Community Development In Europe: Towards a Common Framework and Understanding
This new framework brings together the work of the European Community Development Network, of which SCDC is a member, to establish a shared understanding of community development across Europe.

The framework is based on the values and principals of collective learning, empowerment, meaningful participation, active citizenship, collective action for collective outcomes and equality. It has been developed through a process of discussion, analysis and reflection by people involved in community development work across ten European countries. SCDC would like to thank all of the people who participated in the discussions in Scotland as part of the process to develop the framework.

The publication examines examples of community development across the continent to underpin the intention, practice, tools and outcomes of community development. In Scotland, the Wester Hailes Health Agency (WHHA) was highlighted as part of its work in tackling health inequalities and building people’s social capital through community-led activity, strongly rooted in local needs and priorities.

Other examples from Spain, Norway, Romania as well as many more demonstrate the breadth, range and impact of community development across Europe.

We hope the framework will be useful in promoting community development further at both local and national levels in Scotland.

In 2011 CHEX (Community Health Exchange) surveyed our network to find out how community-led health organisations influenced decision making locally and nationally. Findings were reported in our publication Healthy Influences, which you can download here.

We would now like to update this research by surveying our existing network. CHEX wants to find out how your organisation is able to influence local and national decisions. The findings will be compiled into a report which will be available on our website and brought to the attention of key national decision makers such as the Chief Executives of NHS Scotland and managers of Community Planning Partnerships and integration partnerships on health and social care. Click here to take part in the survey.

We very much appreciate your time in participating in this survey and estimate that it should take approximately 10 minutes to respond. If you have any queries, please email Andrew Paterson or Elspeth Gracey or phone them on 0141 248 1964.

Learn to resolve conflict in your community (Glasgow)
The Scottish Community Mediation Centre is working with Scottish Community Development Centre to present a five-day course on mediation and resolving conflict constructively. The course is an opportunity for anyone who has to deal with local conflicts to learn practical and effective skills in helping people find common ground and a mutually-agreed way forward.

Glasgow

7th November - 1st December

£350 pp

The first two-day section looks at where conflict arises, how it affects us and techniques for managing it constructively. You will learn how to identify different sources of conflict and how to turn conflict into agreement.

You will then complete a brief home study exercise where you will learn about the social, legal and ethical contexts of mediation in Scotland and beyond and about different models of mediation. This is followed by three days of practice in direct mediation skills, from first contact with potential clients to handling a mediation meeting. You will have the opportunity in a relaxed and supportive environment to learn all the basic skills a mediator needs to begin to practice successfully. Participants are expected to attend the whole course and complete the exercises.

General Information

Active citizenship in Scotland top of the agenda in Tennessee for the first two Fred Edwards Trust Fellows
Following the recent independence referendum, which prompted unprecedented levels of civic engagement in Scotland, the first ever Fred Edwards Trust Fellows have been unveiled as Rhionna Mackay (24) from Brora and Julian Holbrook (54) from Midlothian.

Chosen from a strong field of Scottish-based emerging citizen leaders, Rhionna and Julian will follow in the footsteps of Dr Martin Luther King and Rosa Parks, travelling to the internationally acclaimed Highlander Research and Education Center in Tennessee to take part in its 2015 workshop week, followed by a programme of visits and meetings with their counterparts in US-based citizen-led groups.

The Fellowship is the first of its kind. It is a unique collaboration between the Fred Edwards Trust, the Scottish Community Development Centre and the Highlander Research and Education Center in Tennessee.

Under the banner, ‘The Power of One: Inspiring people to become inspiring people', the aim of the Fellowship is to invest in key individuals, who are emerging as citizen leaders within their own communities (or communities of interest) in Scotland. The Fellowship has been designed to provide them with a springboard to promote civic engagement in Scotland through sharing the knowledge, skills and inspiration that they bring back from Highlander .

Child poverty map released
End Child Poverty, a group which includes a range of charities and organisations from across the UK, has published details of its child poverty map which is showing "shocking levels of hardship" across the country.

The map highlights the percentage of children in locations across the UK who in poverty, hitting 49% in the Bethnal Green and Bow parliamentary constituency in London.

In Scotland, Glasgow was the worst area, with 41% of children living in poverty - 13th place across the UK. The lowest area in the UK was West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine, with just 9%.

End Child Poverty spokesman Neil Mathers said: "These figures reveal just how widely and deeply child poverty reaches into our communities. It's important we look behind these figures at what is driving this level of poverty in our country."

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "It is totally unacceptable that there are children living in poverty in a country as wealthy as Scotland."

A spokesman for the UK GGovernmentsaid: "The figures do not provide an accurate picture of child poverty. We're doing more than ever to help children, the attainment gap for deprived pupils has fallen and we've just seen the largest fall in unemployment since 1988.

You can read the BBC News story here and get the full data here. A map on the Scottish level is here.

Report: 60,000 increase in child poverty in the UK
Following this map, a report by the UK government has shown a marked increase in the levels of child poverty across the UK, with more than 60,000 more children now living in poverty last year.

In Scotland there were 180,000 (19% of the country) children in relative poverty, an increase in 30,000 and that there were 200,000 children (20%) living in absolute poverty, again up 30,000 last year.

Scotland lost its place as the country in the UK with the lowest child poverty levels, with England performing marginally better. However the report noted that "progress in Scotland has been more rapid than elsewhere in the UK, particularly when looking at poverty after housing costs".

You can read the summary paper here and the full report here , with the section on Scotland starting on page 181.

New Understanding Glasgow film
A new film resource is available on the Understanding Glasgow website which highlights how the website can be used to explore life and health in the city.

The film explores how life and health has changed in the city over the last 200 years and how health varies across the city and compared with other similar cities. Various lifestyle factors such as diet and physical activity are explored, and the film also focuses on how poverty impacts on different parts of the city.

Creating Better Health & Wellbeing - Event report
This one-day networking and learning event was organised by members of the Adult Life/Working Age Working Group at SCPHRP. It aimed to help bring academic researchers and community organisations together to discuss methods and experiences of improving health and wellbeing and reducing health inequalities in Scotland. The main objectives for the day were:

Showcasing some on-the-ground work

Improving understanding between community organisations and researchers.

Increasing the likelihood of future connections between academia and community organisations.

Sandra Carlisle from the University of Aberdeen was invited to give a keynote presentation on ‘Community-Based Action Research’. Five community / Third Sector organisations and one academic group that have had experience of collaborations between researchers and community organisations (either past or present) were identified through their links to NHS Health Scotland, Community Health Exchange / Scottish Community Development Centre and SCPHRP and invited to lead case study discussion groups around experiences of their organisations and relevant projects.

Report for the day here. There's a video, which you can view here, which gives an insight into the day.

Latest on participatory budgeting in Scotland
Representatives of Participatory Budgeting (PB) projects from across Scotland met in Glasgow on the 15th October 2014 to share the rich experiences of PB in Scotland over the last 10 years.

Funded by the Scottish Government, hosted by the Scottish Community Development Centre and Faith in Community Scotland it used a participatory format to capture learning, that will go to support future community empowerment initiatives in Scotland.

Participants heard first hand of the experience of PB programmes in Scotland and the learning from a recent online survey of the state of PB in Scotland. It is believed there are over 22 initiatives already, most little known outside Scotland or to each other. This is set to grow, making the event particularly timely.

PB sits alongside the objectives of the Scottish Government’s Community Empowerment Bill introduced to the Scottish Parliament in June 2014. Derek MacKay MSP, Scottish Minister for Local Government and Planning recently endorsed PB at the Changing Lives, Celebrating Success conference.

With welfare reform continuing to dominate the headlines, CHEX brings you some of the latest news from around Scotland relating to welfare and community-led health: News from other networks

Welfare minister Lord Freud has apologised for "foolish and offensive" remarks in which he suggested people with disabilities could be paid less than the minimum wage. More here.

GCVS has outlined the welfare-related elements of the Scottish Government's budget, published last week. It notes that "The budget includes a commitment to continue investment in the Scottish Welfare Fund and the Council Tax Reduction scheme, the latter of which will continue to assist those affected by the abolition of Council Tax Benefit." More here.

News from other networks

CHEX has found the following e-bulletins interesting over the last fortnight:

The GCPH newsletter is a useful resource for information around a range of health issues, but is particularly good at highlighting interesting publications and resources. You can view it here.

Mind's Well has information and training around self-harm and other related behaviours. They have a bulletin which is published monthly covering these issues in depth. You can it here.

Campaigns

Principles into practice awards 2014 - 2015
The principles into practice awards are a great opportunity to identify and celebrate services and projects across all of health, social care and the voluntary sector, who are going the extra mile and putting individuals at the centre of the work they do.

Shortlisted nominees will be invited to participate and present on the work they do at an event on Friday 6 March 2015 at the Scottish Youth Theatre in Glasgow. At this event, the winners of the awards will be announced. Afterwards the winners will have a short film made about the work that they do.

Nominations can be made across six categories, with details on these available below. To nominate for an award please complete a nomination form and email it to consult@mwcscot.org.uk, or post it to; The Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland, 91 Haymarket Terrace, Edinburgh, EH12 5HE

The closing date for all nominations is 4pm Friday 24 October 2014. More here.

Scottish Association for Mental Health (SAMH) launch new campaign: ‘Standing Together for Mental Health’
The campaign will focus on three main issues: The high volume of GP appointments relating to a mental health issue; Scotland’s suicide rate; The significant numbers of people with mental health problems who are unemployed.

Consultations and surveys

'Powers for a Purpose: Your Say on Further Devolution for Scotland'
The new Inclusion Scotland survey, 'Powers for a Purpose: Your Say on Further Devolution for Scotland' is now available.

The purpose of the survey is to discover what additional powers disabled people in Scotland would like to come to the Scottish Parliament. The answers will help to inform Inclusion's response to the Smith Commission's recommendations, when they are published.

The Commission on Housing and Wellbeing
The Commission has been charged with considering the relationship between housing and wellbeing for the people of Scotland in the second decade of the 21st century. It has also been asked to consider and recommend national housing priorities and policies to foster and sustain wellbeing for all the people of Scotland.

Their previous work offers an initial assessment of the importance of housing for general wellbeing in Scotland as well as some of the early ideas for what more might be done to help improve housing conditions and generate enhanced wellbeing in the future.

They are requesting views on their initial ideas from anyone with relevant knowledge, expertise or experience and welcome input from organisations and individuals alike.

You can submit online here. The consultation closes at 12:00 on Friday 28th November 2014. Supporting materials here.

Smith Commission proposals on further powers for Scotland
Lord Smith asked the five political parties represented at the Scottish Parliament to give them him their views by Friday 10 October on what further powers should be devolved to Holyrood. These proposals will provide the basis of the political negotiations along with the views received from civil institutions and the public.

The parties have made the following proposals, which you can view here.

Publications

Going Digital: Five lessons for charities developing technology–based innovations
This NESTA report explores the experiences of charities that have developed digital products and services and offers top tips for charities going down this route.

It has found that:

Digital technology presents a big opportunity for charities to increase their impact. However, it is an underutilised tool in the sector.

Key issues charities face when developing digital technology include: staying focused on the end goal and not being distracted by the technology; the need for new skills; getting Trustee buy-in; bringing in the right support and partners; and planning the funding.

To help overcome these issues, we need to share more examples of best-practice and create guidance to demystify digital; as well as creating new and complementary funding sources dedicated to charities developing such technology.

The Growing Price Gap between More and Less Healthy Foods
Researchers have found healthier foods are now three times more expensive than their less healthy alternatives:

Since 2002, more healthy foods and beverages have been consistently more expensive than less healthy ones, with a growing gap between them. This trend is likely to make healthier diets less affordable over time, which may have implications for individual food security and population health, and it may exacerbate social inequalities in health. The novel data linkage employed here could be used as the basis for routine food price monitoring to inform public health policy.

GoWell reports on the east end of Glasgow
GoWell, part of GCPH, have published a range of interesting reports over the last few months. They have been specifically examining the change in the east end of Glasgow. This has included the production of several reports as outlined below:

GHN Annual Conference and AGM report
Last week, Glasgow Homelessness Network welcomed nearly 200 partners to GHN's annual conference - Ready for Change. The lively roundtable discussions provided a key opportunity for people living and working with homelessness to progress some of the key themes arising from Glasgow City Council's strategic review of homelessness.

The report from the roundtable discussions is now underway, and the slides from the conference speakers are available here.

Monitoring Homelessness: Annual Report 2013-2014
GHN’s first Annual Homelessness Monitoring report is based on data gathered by Glasgow's key homelessness services across the third sector. Published in time to be considered as part of the strategic review of homelessness, the recommendations have been endorsed by the city's cross-sector Homelessness Planning and Implementation Group. The report presents our key findings around the outcomes of presentations to statutory Homelessness Services, the scale of rough sleeping and the complex support needs of service users.

Funding

People and Communities fund closes soon
The Scottish Government's People and Communities fund closes on the 31st October. The fund supports community organisations to grow and strengthen by delivering outcomes to meet and respond to the aspirations of their communities.

Pilgrim Trust
The trustees fund social welfare and preservation/scholarship projects throughout the UK, awarding small grants of up to £5,000 and main grants of over £5,000.

Under social welfare, they no longer consider applications from projects aimed at people who misuse drugs and alcohol but continue to fund projects that seek to reduce the use of custody for women and those that seek to support and reintegrate women who are leaving custody. You can apply at any time.

Paul Hamlyn Foundation
The foundation’s grant-making activities will be restructured, and details of new funds will be announced in spring 2015. Prior to this, current open grants schemes in the Arts, Education and Learning, and Social Justice programmes will close to new applications on 31 October 2014.

Young Scot – Time to Shine Fund
Groups of two or more young people (majority should be aged 14-20) can apply for up to £750 to develop skills within the creative industry. Deadline is 7th December 2014

Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) – Scotland Community Fund 2014
Funds are available to support Scottish groups to start (max £300) or develop (max £3,000) gardening projects within their local community. Last year, the scheme awarded £30,000 to 17 projects. Deadline is 8th December 2014.

HMRC Launches 2015/16 Grant Funding for UK
HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) are inviting the UK’s voluntary and community sector to apply to its new one-off £2 million grant programme.

HMRC has £2 million funding to allocate in 2015/16 to the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE) to provide advice and support to HMRC customers who need extra help in understanding and complying with their obligations and claiming their entitlements.

Registered charities, voluntary and community organisations, social enterprises, mutual and co-operatives based in the UK can apply to one of two categories.

Category One will provide grants of up to £350,000. This is open to VCSE organisations to complement HMRC's new service, which launched in May 2014, for customers who need extra help.

Category Two will provide grants of up to £200,000. This is open to VCSE organisations with the expertise and infrastructure to take referrals by telephone or email from HMRC extra help service to assist customers who need independent advice and support with more complex tax issues.

There are specific requirements for organisations to be eligible. Deadline for applications is 31st October 2014 with funding to begin on 1st April 2015. Further information here.

Scottish Sport Relief Home and Away Programme Invites Bids
The 'Home' element of the Scottish Sport Relief Home and Away Programme is now accepting applications from voluntary organisations in Scotland.

The Scottish Sport Relief Home and Away Programme is jointly funded by the Scottish Government’s Legacy 2014 and Cashback for Communities Programme and money raised through Sport Relief.

The Phase II ‘Home’ element of the Programme focuses on funding projects in Scotland which use the power and inspiration of sport to help young people aged 11 to 24 years who have limited opportunities and face significant challenges.

A total fund of £750,000 is available with grants running from one to three years. Organisations can apply for a maximum of £50,000 irrespective of the grant’s duration.

Projects must address at least one of the following outcomes:

Young people lead less chaotic lives and engage in less harmful lifestyles.

Young people recover, cope and thrive in the face of severe personal, family and social adversity.

Young people progress into employment, enterprise training and education opportunities.

More here. The deadline for first stage applications is 31 October 2014 (12 noon).

Events

IRISS AGM - 30 Oct (Glasgow)
Annual General Meeting of the Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services will take place on the afternoon of Thursday 30 October 2014 at St Mungo's Museum function room, 2 Castle Street, Glasgow, G4 0RH.

The programme for the afternoon will be as follows:

4.00pm Angela Morgan: What does it mean to be a radical?

5.15pm IRISS AGM: The formal business of the AGM (see attached agenda)

A Conversation on Constitutions - 4 Nov (Edinburgh)
Before the vote we talked about a ‘Constitution’ for Scotland; now we might talk about a ‘Basic Law’, that will codify and entrench certain rights. Centre for Scottish Public Policy (CSPP) and SCVO are teaming up for a ‘conversation on constitutions’.

Tuesday 4 November, 6pm-8pm

Henderson’s@St Johns, Edinburgh

They will discuss…

If right to life groups are lobbying for devolution of legislative powers on embryology & abortion, should existing rights need to be entrenched? You have your say.

Could we even have had a referendum of the kind we did if there had been a codified constitution for the UK? Hear and discuss the arguments.

Embracing the Future of Health and Social Care: International Lessons for Scotland - 5 Nov (Edinburgh)
The Alliance are delighted that Derek Feeley, Executive Vice President, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) in Boston, and former Chief Executive of NHS Scotland, will deliver the next masterclass in the Academy's ‘Being Human’ series.

5 November, 6pm - 8pm

Chrystal McMillan Building, University of Edinburgh

Join them for this unique opportunity to hear Derek’s reflections, consider some of the challenges we face and how person-centred innovation can help meet those challenges. This event is partnered with University of Edinburgh, What Works Scotland and the Joint Improvement Team (JIT).

We're Here Too! Older people who need more support taking part (Various)
We are running 4 events to bring people together and share experiences and ideas. The events are aimed at a range of people; care providers, groups and forums led by older people, public involvement leads in local authorities and NHS, staff with roles around Self Directed Support (SDS) and Reshaping Care for Older People (RCOP), and Community Planning aspects.

EVOC AGM & Conference 2014 - 11 Nov (Edinburgh)
‘Chasing Unicorns’, EVOC's Third Sector Conference and Annual General Meeting, will be held on 11th November 2014 from 9:30am at the Norton Park Conference Centre in Edinburgh. We'll be exploring the future of Scotland’s Third Sector – and any opportunities or challenges that may arise post Referendum.

Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland and Patient Opinion: Discover Care Opinion - 13 Nov (Glasgow)
A partnership between the Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland and Patient Opinion with funding and support from the Scottish Government, Reshaping Care for Older People’s Team will pilot the use of Care Opinion. This event will discuss the pilot project and give attendees an opportunity to get involved.

Conferences and seminars

‘Understanding Poverty' seminar series - Poverty Alliance 29 Oct (Glasgow)
The result of the Scottish Independence Referendum has opened the door to a range of new powers to Scotland. As part of their ‘Understanding Poverty' seminar series, The Poverty Alliance are organising a full day seminar on more powers for Scotland, and how these can be used to address poverty. The seminar will take place on Wednesday 29 October in Glasgow. With the Smith Commission now established this seminar will help participants feed into its deliberations, but also to engage with the wider debates around ‘powers with a purpose' over the months to come.

Speakers include Professor David Bell, Professor Paul Spicker, Dr Angela O'Hagan, John Dickie, Director of CPAG Scotland, Maureen Watson, Head of Policy at the Scottish Federation of Housing Associations. The event will be chaired by Professor Nicola McEwan, Associate Director of the Scottish Centre on Constitutional Change at the University of Edinburgh.

This seminar will aim to:

Provide an overview of opportunities are available in relation to additional taxation powers;

Highlight the welfare powers that could be reasonably devolved to Scotland, highlighting the advantages and disadvantages;

Discuss the changes that are required within Scotland to deliver real change.

This discussion will bring together a range of participants from different of backgrounds: policy makers, activists, voluntary organisations, academics, etc. Participants will be able to use the discussions that take place to help them understand the impact that additional powers for the Scottish Parliament could make on the fight against poverty in Scotland.

Please note that the event is free, and includes lunch. To register please click here.

Putting our trust in trustees - Nov 8 (Edinburgh)
This conference which will provide a unique learning and networking opportunity for trustees from charities, community groups, social enterprises of all shapes and sizes. The conference will help trustees to develop their knowledge and understanding of governance and make new connections to assist them in their roles.

This event is aimed at trustees - also known as management board or management committee members - of third sector organisations in Scotland. If you are a trustee, or would like to be one, it would be great to see you at what promises to be a great event. Further speakers and workshop leaders will be added to the programme in due course.

Health, wellbeing and your brain - 27 Nov (Edinburgh)
A healthy, connected brain is key to people’s wellbeing, not least in later life. What influences the brain’s development from the moment we are conceived? What role do our genes, environments and life chances play in determining how resilient our brains are as we grow old? What are the consequences of an ageing brain for both individual and collective health as a society? Should policy makers and public services focused on older people’s health and wellbeing pay more attention to children’s early years?

Join the debate as we explore the questions at this year’s Symposium:

Keynote presentation: Healthy Cognitive Ageing | Professor Ian Deary FBA | Director of the Centre for Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology at the University of Edinburgh and co-Director of the Alzheimer Scotland Dementia Research Centre.

A view from the children’s sector | Jackie Brock | Chief Executive of Children in Scotland

A view from the older people’s sector | Maureen O’Neill | Director of Faith in Older People and Member of the European Economic and Social Committee

Discussion and debate led by Symposium Chair| Shulah Allan | Non-executive Board Member of NHS Lothian, Vice Chair of Edinburgh Health and Social Care Partnership, Convenor of the Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations

The event is open to VHS members and all third sector, community, statutory and academic bodies with an interest in health and social policy, research or service provision.

GCPH Seminar Series 11: Lecture 2 - Nature, nurture and society
In a powerful, personal talk, Byron Vincent tells the story of his own childhood on a troubled housing estate, of how his surroundings shaped him, and of the choices he felt forced to make. Faced with similar circumstances he asks who can say they would make different choices.

Wednesday 26th November 2014, 4.30 pm – 6.00 pm

CCA – Centre for Contemporary Arts, Glasgow

Byron explores the moral consequences of this for the rest of our society.
Byron also has a duel diagnosis of bipolar disorder and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and has spent most of his life as a patient of the Mental Health Service. He will be offering an honest account of his experiences, both as an out patient and resident in NHS psychiatric units.

Nurses: catalysts of community health and well-being - 13 Nov (Edinburgh)
Join the Queen's Nursing Institute Scotland in a debate, chaired by Lesley Riddoch, to celebrate 125 years of the QNIS, on 13th November 2014, 4.30pm - 7.30pm at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh.

History shows us examples of nurses as influential social reformers; at this event QNIS will be exploring the role of contemporary nursing in community empowerment. Four excellent guests will speak to this issue before we open up for discussion with the audience.

More information and tickets are available here or call 0131 229 2333.

Are Health Inequalities Declining in Europe? - and If Not, Why Not? - 18 Nov (Edinburgh)
Johan Mackenbach is Professor of Public Health and chair of the Department of Public Health at Erasmus MC, University Medical Center Rotterdam, the Netherlands. His research interests are in social epidemiology, medicaldemography, and health policy.

He has (co-)authored more than 500 papers in international, peer-reviewed scientific journals, as well as a number of books. He is a former editor-in-chief of the European Journal of Public Health. He is actively engaged in exchanges between research and policy, among others as a member of the Health Council of the Netherlands and the Council for Public Health and Health Care. He is also a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences, and honorary professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

This is a public lecture hosted by the Scottish Collaboration for Public Health Research & Policy and the Centre for Population Health Sciences.

Training

Lothian Education and Recovery Network
This organisation provides a range of courses and workshops on mental health and wellbeing that are free, recovery focussed and experience led across Lothian starting in October.

Food and cooking training
Clarity Nutrition is a Glasgow-based social Enterprise Food Training Provider with a wide range of community cookery classes including Flavours of the World, Cooking on a Budget, Kids in the Kitchen and bespoke master classes all with a healthy flavour

Healthy Appetites is a unique concept that provides sensible advice for achieving a good healthy plan for life, whilst also supplying a broad range of cookery skills and nutritional knowledge linked to the REHIS Accredited Food Safety, Cookery and Nutrition course messages

Their aim has always been to raise the awareness of the relevance of appropriate nutrition for good health and wellbeing via practical hands on training and preparing easy to enjoy foods that have to taste great too!

Free SHIEN Peer Workshop (Aberdeen & North West)
Peer support is where people draw on their own life experiences to help others experiencing similar problems. SHIEN (the Scottish Homelessness Involvement & Empowerment Network) is exploring this theme at their next workshop in Aberdeen.

Wednesday 29th October 2014

This is an opportunity to learn about peer-based activity in Scotland and share knowledge and ideas around your peer activities. We warmly invite service users, staff and decision makers from across Scotland to share their examples and experiences of getting involved in peer projects:

Do you have an example of peer-related activity to share?

Do you know anyone locally in homeless services who would provide drama/music entertainment on the day?

Mental Health courses across the country (Various)
Mental Health First Aid - Armed Forces perspective course
This is a two-day intensive course suitable for both civilian and military communities. More here.

14 and 21 November 2014 (both Fridays) in Glenrothes, Fife

25 and 26 November 2014 (Tuesday & Wednesday) in Edinburgh

Scottish Mental Health First Aid
This is a two-day intensive course suitable for anyone.

19 and 20 November 2014 (Wednesday and Thursday), in Rosyth, Dunfermline.

Free Laughter Yoga Taster Sessions

There will be a laughter yoga twilight taster session in the Playfield Institute, Cupar, on Tuesday 18 November at 5pm. More here.

Certified Laughter Yoga Leader Training
This is a two-day intensive course suitable for anyone
Course coming up in October and November as follows:

Adventures in Visual Facilitation - 11 & 12 Nov (Glasgow)
This is a 2 day training course to develop your skills and confidence to unlock creativity and productivity in meetings by using large scale visual techniques. To attend this course you must be able to demonstrate basic skills in graphic recording or facilitation.

During the 2 days we will create lots of graphics and learn from and with each other. We will have lots of time, making sure you can:

Vacancies

Healthy Valleys - Two posts (Glasgow)
Healthy Valleys is a community led health improvement organisation located in rural South Lanarkshire and has two new opportunities for two highly motivated individuals to join our dynamic team.

Valley Therapies Co-ordinator

£23,232

30 hours per week pro rata reducing to 20 hours in year 2.

The successful candidate will manage, develop and deliver two projects ‘Valley Therapies’ and ‘Becoming a Survivor’. This post is currently funded for 2 years.

Complementary Therapist

£20,520 pro rata

(21 hours per week pro rata for 3 years) flexible to meet the need of the Organisation.

The successful candidate will deliver complementary therapies for the project ‘Becoming a Survivor’. This post is funded by the National Lottery through the Big Lottery Fund.

Due to the nature of this work, under the under the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 and the Equality Act 2010, these posts are open to female applicants only.

This position requires the successful candidates to have a current driving license and access to own transport for business purpose as they will both work across the Lanarkshire area.

The ALLIANCE - Partnership and Development Manager (Glasgow)
The Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland is an independent Scottish Charity and works with the Scottish Government as a strategic intermediary in health and social care with core funding for that purpose.

A Local Information System for Scotland (ALISS) is a system which connects people within communities and supports people to live well with long term conditions. We are recruiting for this new post to develop, deliver and evaluate ALISS programme engagement activities.

You must have an understanding of the self management agenda and wider health and social care agendas in Scotland. You must also have management experience including programme management and staff supervision.

Trellis - Fundraising & Development Officer
We are looking for someone with an excellent track record in raising funds for national organisations, who can clearly convey the benefits of therapeutic and community gardening to potential supporters.

21 hours/week

Salary £21,000 pro rata

Fixed term for 12 months (extension dependent on funding)

Home based, with some attendance (e.g. one day/wk) at Perth office.

You’ll have strong fundraising skills and initiative, great ideas about inspiring people to donate to good causes, and the energy to develop a comprehensive, sustained approach.

East Dunbartonshire Voluntary Action - Implementation Officer (Kirkintilloch)
Applications are invited for an enthusiastic individual to work directly with charities, communities, partners, networks and volunteering across East Dunbartonshire.

Salary: £20338 per annun

The post-holder will be working with a small team under the auspices of the Implementation Manager to deliver against key performance targets supporting and developing services to build capacity, growth and sustainability with community groups, volunteering, social enterprises, statutory and voluntary sector partners and networks.

Applicants should have a relevant qualification and/or experience of working and developing programmes within community development settings, demonstrate excellent communication and IT skills, relevant experience of delivering training, quality standards.

Outside the Box - Office and Communications Co-ordinator
Outside the Box provides community development support to groups and individuals who want to start something new or sustain something that will be of benefit to their community. We also work with people across Scotland on national projects.

Salary: to be confirmed (£18,000)

Closing date: 10th November 2014

The impacts of our work are aimed at:

Community groups, especially groups led by disabled people and older people

Policy makers

Staff in councils, NHS and similar bodies who set local policies and practice

Staff in a range of services who have contact with people who get support and with members of the public

Other voluntary organisations and innovation teams who are developing ideas and also working to influence and improve policy and practice in Scotland or in other places.

CHANGES Community Health Project - Volunteer Coordinator (Musselburgh)
CHANGES is a community mental health project which uses a community development approach to promoting positive mental health and well-being in East Lothian.

Salary: £25,716 - £25,716 pro-rata

Salary info: 14 Hours pw

Closing date: 03/11/2014

You will have experience of working with Volunteers and within the mental health field. As part of a small team you will support Volunteers to co-facilitate self help courses, provide 1:1 peer support and assist with administration.

Websites

New text service from Update Disability Info
Update Disability Information Scotland have launched a new helpline text service. The SMS text service lets people send a text message to Update, where it will be passed directly to the helpline team. The text message is charged at standard network rates.

The new service aims to provide a quicker, easier and low cost way to get in touch, as well as enabling us to provide a call back service for people who request one.

UPDATE's helpline team provides information on a wide range of topics; from disability benefits to sourcing equipment, as well as providing you with information on help and support in your own area. Access to our helpline service is available to all: disabled people, carers, professionals, disability organisations and anyone with an interest in disability issues.

Joseph Rowntree Foundation web-native report on poverty
This JRF report highlights the case for tackling poverty and suggested policy options available to governments. An interesting report that goes into some detail around the issues related to poverty and why it's increasing in the UK.

However, for the purposes of this section, it highlights also the interesting use of web-native design to create a report that is more accessible and easily shared, features lots of links, embedded tweets and large images.

It’s also responsively designed, meaning it resizes to all devices so it can be viewed on mobile and tablets, desktop without any change to content or underlying web code (you can resize your browser window to a phone size to see it in action).

An interesting way to move away from the usual PDF report to make something that fits with the online format it's presented on.